The present invention is directed generally to electronic devices operable in a plurality of modes, such as a timepiece and a wristwatch in particular, and in particular, to an improved methodology and construction for setting/calibrating each of the modes within which the device is operable.
Ideas to assist users in setting and/or calibrating an electronic device, such as a wristwatch, are broad and varied. For example, in watches commonly referred to as “digital” watches, actual printed text may be provided along the bezel of the device (or on the display itself) to prompt users through a setting and/or calibration sequence.
In “analog” watches, the idea of printing on the watch bezel is less than desirable, and may even be less than practical since limited information, if any at all, can be provided on the bezel itself while still remaining aesthetically pleasing. Therefore, a perceived deficiency in the prior art is the ability to provide a user with easy to remember steps for setting/calibrating displayable information in an electronic device of the “analog” type.
As such electronic devices become more sophisticated and complicated, designers continue to look for ways to facilitate a user's interaction with the device. One method and construction believed to have advanced the state of the art is disclosed in coowned and copending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/022,435, the subject matter of which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. The method and construction set forth in the foregoing '435 application is one example of an interface that assists the user through a setting/calibration sequence for a plurality of display hands in an electronic device.
Although the present invention is applicable to a device that utilizes a plurality of hands, it is not so limited thereby. As such, it will be seen that it is desirable to provide an improved interface to guide a user through a calibration/setting sequence or sequences in an electronic device of the type disclosed herein.
It is believed that the foregoing is best achieved by providing a rotating mode indicator with visible indicators representative of the mode in which the device is operating. In this way, the user need not remember complicated sequences or the order in which the modes are settable and/or calibrated since the device itself will in effect prompt (or otherwise alert) the user accordingly.